Digital Logos Edition
To modern secular culture, the human body is little more than a vehicle for free self-expression—our bodies belong to us, and we can do with them as we please. In this way, the prevailing culture has lost sight of the true significance of the body. Similarly, Christians also tend to underemphasize the significance of the physical body. In What God Has to Say about Our Bodies, Sam Allberry argues that the Bible has a lot to say about the body, and shows how the practical significance of Scripture’s teaching on this topic impacts how Christians should think and behave. Organized around three categories—what God intended for the body (creation), the impact of sin on the body (fall), and how God will redeem the body (redemption)—the book provides believers with a balanced and accessible theology of the body as they seek to glorify God in everything they do.
“We’re not just the outcome of God’s activity; we are the product of God’s intention.” (Page 26)
“The poet George Herbert said, ‘Death used to be an executioner, but the Gospel makes him just a gardener.’3 You don’t bury a Christian; you plant him.” (Page 185)
“Notice how Adam was made. It was the opposite of how many people today view themselves. God didn’t first make a soul called ‘Adam’ and then look around for something physical to put that soul into, as though the soul was the real Adam and his body was the equivalent of a Tupperware container to store it in. No. God actually started with matter. He formed a body from the ground, which was then brought to life.” (Page 42)
“Your body—my body—is not just there, happening to exist. It means something to God. He knows it. He made it. He cares about it. And all that Christ has done in his death and resurrection is not in order for us one day to escape our body, but for him one day to redeem it.” (Page 16)
“Ingratitude is actually part of the foundation of all sin. Failing to honor God—removing him from his throne and rightful place in our lives—happens alongside and because of our lack of giving thanks to him. Not to give thanks is to forget the goodness of God.” (Page 28)